Electrical utility service distribution and the increasing use of underground cables provides a convenience, safety factor, and cost saving to the public and electrical utility companies. Disrupted service and scheduled maintenance requires the investigation, diagnosis and repair of the cables plus their associated connection points, such as sub stations, distribution centers and pad mounted transformers.
For any maintenance work to be conducted on underground cables, requires some method of indication to the service personnel as to whether the cable has any electrical potential on it. That is, whether the cable in question is "live or dead". Existing instruments are difficult to use and often the indication is inconclusive. The final step prior to cutting a primary cable, is to spike it. This requires a spiking tool that is to be used only after the cable is proven "dead" and grounded at both ends.